Tanu Weds Manu has come like oxygen for multiplexes, at least. The medium-budget film is still doing quite well in the cineplexes. Had it not been for this film, many multiplexes would not have films to play because there aren’t any worthwhile and star-cast Hindi films releasing since last week, thanks to World Cup cricket matches. While several single-screen cinemas have either suspended shows or downed shutters due to lack of playing programmes and audience, multiplexes have shut down some auditoria rather than all. Of course, there are multiplexes which haven’t shut even a single screen, choosing instead to give their viewers variety.
The Cinemax chain has opted to give its patrons sci-fi films in one week, followed by some other variety in the next week and so on and so forth till the dull month of March gets over. Cinemax is also releasing regional films in its properties to cater to sections of audience interested in watching such films which, in normal circumstances, they’d never get a chance to watch in its properties. For instance, it will release Bengali films in its properties in Bombay and, probably, Marathi films in its multiplex in Baroda. But whatever the offerings of multiplexes, collections are at an alltime low. Not just because of the cricket mania but also because old films, in repeat-run, just don’t work at the box-office.
